This invention relates generally to brakes, and in particular to cleaning or finish-treating the surfaces of disc brakes.
Disc brakes are commonly used in automotive and other applications due to their efficiency and braking power. However, deposits such as "glazing" can form on the surfaces of the disc brakes during friction braking at high temperatures or after prolonged use. Such deposits can reduce braking efficiency, and can lead to objectionable squeaking. As such, disc brakes require cleaning by lightly grinding their braking surfaces to remove the deposits.
In the past, apparatus for grinding disc brakes required the removal of the braking disc from the wheel supporting it in order to accomplish such cleaning. In the case of automobiles, the braking disc must be separated from the automobile, cleaned in a lathing machine, and then reattached to the vehicle. This process is time consuming and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,452 discloses a method and apparatus for overcoming the aforementioned problems and disadvantages by disclosing a method, and means for, grinding a disc brake disc by employing a pair of rotors. The disc is rotated while it is carried by its support and the rotors are located at opposite sides of the disc, engaging the rotors with the opposite sides of the disc while the rotors are rotated by a motor. Typically, both rotors are grinding rotors and are carried by a support frame, and the method includes releasable attaching or hooking that frame to a brake pad carrier frame prior to engaging the rotors with the opposite sides of the disc, whereby the rotors are accurately located relative to the disc.
However, the apparatus is not free-standing and the angle of the rotors with respect to the disc faces cannot be adjusted. The apparatus also requires the disc to be rotated by a drive means other than rotors. Further, the apparatus requires a spring to urge the rotors relatively toward one another and, an actuator to initially urge the rotors away from one another. In addition, the apparatus requires a control connected to the actuator and the motor to cause the actuator to allow the spring to displace the rotors relatively towards one another.
There is therefore need for a simple procedure and apparatus to clean disc brakes and preferably in a short period of time, where the apparatus is freestanding, does not require an independent drive means to rotate the disc, and allows adjustment of the angle of the rotors in relation to the disc.